Project window, Cubase 13, snap type: grid, grid type: bar, automation track of an instrument track, with Object Selection tool click, hold and drag until snapping to the grid I set a 0- 10 automation step. The 4 automation points nicely snapped to the grid.
BUT: zooming horizontally to the maximum it turns out that 2 automation points are not on the grid, there is a gap in both left and right side of the step and the points can’t be dragged to the grid.
I tried creating the step also with the Range Selection tool with the same result.
Why don’t all automation points snap right to the grid and why can’t be dragged to the grid?
19.09.2024 three additions:
- By step I meant square automation waveform.
- Basically it’s unnecessary to bother with the magnification, selecting the Object Selection tool and hovering the mouse pointer over an automation point appears a value field with the values of the Info Line Start and Value.
- Perfect step automation waveform can be created using the Square tool with Alt pressed.
If I understand you correctly then you found a little dilemma that Cubase has.
If you create to automation points on the same position, it is not quite clear which one should come before the other. They do have the same position after all.
In order to avoid this Cubase places some points one tick before another. This results in these points not being on the grid.
This type of solution works for some cases but has a major drawback in other cases: If you want to move or copy a portion of the automation, the point which is one tick earlier will not get selected.
I have run into this problem many times and it is really frustrating. I consider it a major weakness of Cubase’s handling of automation data.
Dear Johnny, thank you very much for your valuable reply.
The MIDI note position format is Bars.Beats.1/16th Note.Ticks.
In Cubase there are 120 ticks per 16th Note.
So if an automation point postion is for example 2.4.4.119 (instead of 3.1.1.0), it means that this - uneducated - point is at bar 2, beat 4, 1/16th note 4, tick 119, that is 1 tick away from 3.1.1.0, exactly as you stated.
I started dealing with the topic because in one of my compositions the tempo is broken at a track change .
It’s interesting that the same composition plays flawlessly in Tracktion Waveform 13 DAW!?
I managed to fix the automation points using the Object Selection tool (you must constantly monitor the value of the new point to be created, trying from right/left).
Unfortunately, the tempo error was not resolved, I have to look for the cause elsewhere.